Apart from his work on screen, Akshay Kumar is known to do a lot of charitable work in real life. On many occasions whenever there is a difficult situation in the country, he has come forward to provide help in any way that he can. However, the actor doesn’t like to publicise it. And one such kind act of his came into limelight again recently.
On the latest episode of the game show Wheel Of Fortune that the actor is hosting, Akshay Kumar invited a panel of journalists as contestants. Amongst them was Sonal Kalra,Chief Managing Editor, Entertainment & Lifestyle, Hindustan Times, who reflected on her two decade long friendship with the actor and offered a glimpse into his untold side.
Sonal revealed that she has known Akshay for nearly two decades, but she witnessed a very different side of him during the difficult days of the COVID-19 lockdown. “I know another side of him, the one he doesn’t really like people talking about. But since I’m standing here in front of everyone, he can’t stop me today,” she said, recalling a conversation that she had with him during the lockdown period.
“I told Akshay how worried people were during the lockdown, and at the same time Bihar and Assam were facing devastating floods,” she said, adding, “Suddenly he asked me, ‘Can you find the Chief Minister’s office number for me?’” As Sonal arranged the contact and passed it along, things unfolded quickly. “Within a few hours, a political journalist friend called me asking if it was true that Akshay Kumar had donated 1 crore each to the Chief Minister Relief Funds of Bihar and Assam,” she shared.
When Sonal reached out to Akshay to confirm the news, he initially tried to brush it aside. “He said, ‘No, no… I have given the money, but it’s not a donation,’” she recounted. The actor then explained why he avoids the language of charity altogether. During the episode, he said: “I have always believed the word ‘charity’ or ‘donation’ is the worst word. When you give something to someone, it’s actually your good fortune that you’re able to do it.”
He added, “God has made you capable of serving someone. So instead of saying donation, you should say you got the chance to serve.” The exchange gave the audience an insight into the good work that Akshay does anonymously and the way he takes his act of giving back to the society seriously.
